Educational Sites

UCF offers programming not only at its main Orlando campus but also at several other educational sites across Central Florida and, in one case, at a partner institution in Peru. UCF’s extended presence in these locations allows the university to fulfill its mission of access to quality higher education, providing opportunities to students who would otherwise face undue challenges in pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree. Some educational sites provide destination programming (e.g., bachelor of design in architecture, bachelor of science in photography) that capitalizes on the benefits of local industry and collaborative educational partnerships with state and community colleges.

Educational sites are also referred to as instructional sites by UCF’s regional accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Below is a list of UCF’s instructional sites that are approved by SACSCOC to offer 50 percent or more of a degree program or graduate certificate.

Establishing a New Educational Site

In accordance with state and federal regulations, as well as with institutional accreditation standards, all off-campus educational sites require approval prior to implementation of academic programming.

SACSCOC defines an off-campus instructional site as a location at which a student may earn 25 percent or more of the credits required as part of an academic degree program or a graduate certificate. To comply with SACSCOC’s reporting requirements, UCF must notify SACSCOC prior to any program’s reaching this 25 percent threshold.

The Florida Board of Governors (BOG) Regulation 8.0009 defines an instructional site as a temporary instructional unit of a university, apart from the main campus, that provides a limited range of instructional programs or courses leading to a college degree, in facilities not owned by the institution.

For approval of off-campus educational sites, the SACSCOC definition will be used.

If a unit is planning to offer 50 percent or more of the total requirements for a degree program or graduate certificate at an off-campus educational site, UCF must seek prior approval from SACSCOC. This process includes submitting a prospectus and, in certain circumstances, hosting an on-site review team. In the resources section below are some of the required documents that must be developed in collaboration with Academic Program Quality as part of the prospectus writing process. Typically, approval takes between twelve and eighteen months to obtain, but this time period may be extended if the new site also requires approval by the Florida Board of Governors. Sample timelines are also provided in the resources below.